Trust buys land in Bertie that could be tied to the Lost Colony

(Originally published in The Outer Banks Voice) —Near the confluence of Salmon Creek and Albemarle Sound in Bertie County, archaeologists continue to uncover artifacts that may reveal clues to the 400-year mystery of the Lost Colony of Roanoke Island.

Thanks to the recent purchase of nearly 1,000 acres by the Coastal Land Trust, this magnificent land and its natural, historic, archaeological and cultural significance will be protected.

The property, which is the subject of archaeological research by The First Colony Foundation and is referred to as “Site X,” hosts a variety of significant archaeological resources.

Algonquian Indian artifacts have been found on the site. English artifacts attributable to the period and indicative of settlement by the Roanoke colonists have also been found, which some researchers say could be evidence that a group of survivors from The Lost Colony relocated to this area after leaving Roanoke Island in the late 1580s.

The 1,000 acres acquired by the Coastal Land Trust also features 3.5 miles of frontage along Salmon Creek, floodplain forests of cypress-gum swamp and bottomland hardwood forest, along with tidal freshwater marsh recognized as ecologically significant by the North Carolina Natural Heritage Program.

“This is the most ambitious and exciting project in the Coastal Land Trust’s history,” said Camilla Herlevich, the trust’s executive director.

“The property was previously permitted for a 2,800-unit development and a 212-slip marina,” Herlevich said. “We greatly appreciate the financing for today’s purchase, made possible with a loan from The Conservation Fund that will be repaid with public and private funding.”